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Tension in the Entrance Hall


Maryrose and James Potter collided with one another in the entrance hall, both having their heads down and not watching where they were going. James's glasses were knocked askew and Maryrose stumbled backwards, nearly toppling over. Before he realized who it was, James had struck out his arm to catch her and he ended up bent forward, holding her at an angle, staring down into her face through half-blurred vision. "Hullo, then," he said awkwardly.

"Hullo," she replied, equally awkwardly.

James carefully uprighted her and she reached up to straighten his glasses with a shaky hand, and they stared at one another, each recognizing the heartbreak in the other's eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

"I -- " Maryrose didn't know how to answer. It had been a very long while since she'd been alright.

"Maryrose, wait!" It was Regulus Black, coming running out of the Great Hall and behind him came Peter Pettigrew, who rushed past and up the stairs without a pause, snuffling all the way. James was about to go after him when Regulus said, "I want to go to Hogsmeade with you. Please."

James turned 'round to look at the boy with a shocked expression on his face. "What?"

Maryrose flushed, ignoring James's surprise, and muttered, "Regulus, I dunno if I still want to go with you after what's just happened."

"I'm sorry!" Regulus pleaded.

"What's just happened?" James asked and suddenly he was really angry feeling. It welled up in him like a burn. "What'd you do to her, you little bastard?" He raised his wand at Regulus.

"Put that down!" Maryrose shouted at him, grabbing at James's wrist, and she squealed when she saw Regulus had drawn his, too. "Regulus! Don't!"

Then there came a voice from the doorway, "Of course. James Potter, the great fifth year Quidditch Captain, standing about bullying third years. I'd lower my wand if I was you, Potter." It was Severus Snape and he had his wand raised, too, directly at James.

Maryrose whimpered and shook her head, "Please, the lot of you!"

"Snivellus," growled James, and he redirected his wand, "I know it's hard, seeing as you have an abnormally large nose, but try your hand at keeping it out of other people’s business every now and again."

Severus scoffed, "And how is this situation any of your business, exactly?"

"Because Maryrose is my --" he paused, "Was my --"

"Precisely, Potter.. Was. You broke her and now you're jealous over the pieces. You can't have everything, whatever your privileged little life has taught you. Suppose it’s about time you bloody learned."

James glared at him, "And what is it you think I have? Lily Evans? No and you've made damn sure of that, haven't you? Since the very first day on the Hogwarts Express you've worked to turn her against me. Tell me, Snape, what is it you've got against me? Ey?"

Severus snorted, "What have I got? You and your murdering friend, Sirius Black - a great pair you make.”

“Murdering?” James eyed Severus, “That’s not the first time you’ve said that. What rubbish are you on about?”

Severus stared at him, but he did not reply. Instead, he continued on, “I didn't turn Lily against you on the Express way back then, you did that yourselves, being bullies and mocking me... Well I'm ten times more powerful than you'll ever dream of being now, Potter, so I recommend, once again, that you lower your wand." Sirius's voice was level.

"James," Maryrose begged, "Please."

“Powerful? You? In what, mixing ickle little potions in the dungeons with the great Horace Slughorn, who pities you and tells you lovely things about how grand you are?” James said it in a mocking tone.

“I have power, Potter, that you could not even begin to fathom,” Severus breathed, taking a step forward, “You have no idea how powerful I am, or what sort of spells I’ve learned.”

James started to lower it - he fully intended to walk away for there was something there, something mad in Severus Snape’s eyes that made James hesitate - but as he started to back down, Severus's wrist twitched and James reacted.

"Empurrar!" James shouted and Severus was shoved backward by a great burst of energy from James's wand, his legs thrown out from beneath him as he flipped backwards toward the door of the Great Hall. Maryrose let out a shriek. Severus's fall, however, was broken by Lily Evans, who had just come running out of the Hall, and the pair of them landed in a heap at the door.

"Pugnus!" Regulus shouted, flicking his wand at James with fervor and James doubled over, clutching his gut, where he'd been struck hard with a particularly nasty punching charm.

Maryrose was crying.

Lily and Severus struggled to get up and she looked about, "What is going on?"

"Potter's been bullying me and Sev came to my defense and he's hexed him!" Regulus exclaimed.

"I didn't bully you - you bullied Maryrose!" James said, voice raspy, breathless still from the punch.

"You didn't need to start this, though!" Maryrose cried.

Severus glowered, "Do you see what you've done, Potter?" The name came out as a terrible sneer. "See where being a bullying prat gets you?"

"Sev! Stop instigating him," Lily said sternly. She glared at James, too, though, even as he winced straightening up. "Detention for the lot of you," she waved at the three boys.

"But Lil -- it was James. Alll James. He hexed me, I didn't do anything to deserve --" began Severus, but Lily fixed him with a stare that froze him in mid-sentence.

"Detention. Friday after class."

"Wait - no. Evans, I have try-outs that day! I need to find a new Keeper for the team!" James said, "And being Captain it's rather important that I'm there and --"

"Guess you'll already be letting your team down then, hey?" Lily snapped. "It'll teach you for bullying."

"Standing up for people, Evans, you've got the term for what I was doing all wrong," James argued. His face was red with frustration.

Maryrose shook her head, "I don't need you to be standing up for me! I need to get over you and I can't do that if you're being chivalrous all about the castle."

"Chivalrous?" Regulus asked, "I didn't do anything except try to apologize and explain myself. He was going to attack me."

James said, "You hurt her."

"You hurt her, too!" Regulus replied.

And then the situation was compounded further as Sirius and Remus came out of the Great Hall, holding hands, Remus talking about how Sirius needed to pause and say things in his head before saying them outloud, "Then perhaps you wouldn't be hurting people's feelings all the time and you wouldn't be apologizing every day for saying rubbish things..."

They both paused as they came upon the scene.

Sirius looked about, saw Regulus and Severus, and, immediately defensive, demanded, "What did the scurvy Slytherins do now?"

"Do not start!" Lily snapped. "I'll give you a detention in a heartbeat, Black, just give me a reason."

Sirius held up his palms, "Whoa, now calm down, Evans. Listen, I'm sorry for what I said back in there, alright? It was harsh and I'm a --" he paused and looked at Remus, "What was the adjective we agreed upon again?"

"Barmy idiot,” whispered Remus, supplying the answer.

"Right," Sirius nodded, "I'm a barmy idiot with an oversized mouth."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Seriously!"

"Yes, Sirius-ly."

"Oh my God!" she shook her head, "You really are a barmy idiot."

Sirius grinned and Remus nodded, "He really is."

It was then that the breakfast officially ended and the students in the Great Hall started to come out in a tidal wave of bodies. The cluster of them were broken up, carried away on the streams of them, and before he knew it, Regulus had lost sight of Maryrose, and Lily was storming off up the stairs. Snape went for the dungeons as Sirius and Remus started toward the door going outside and Merlin knows where James had disappeared to for he'd seemed to simply vanish. Regulus stood in the midst of it all, wishing very much that he, too, could vanish.

He never did get to say he was sorry to Maryrose.




The Lupin House was dark and quiet, leaves falling across the yard, autumn breeze making them scurry and cluster about. Newt Scamander stood at the gate, staring up at the dark windows, his fist clutched about his briefcase, Tina standing beside him with her hands buried in her pockets.

"Do you feel it?" Newt asked her.

Tina shook her head, looking at Newt’s face as he stared through the side of his eyes at the house, his expression unreadable. "Nor do I," Newt muttered. He tightened his knuckles 'round the case handle and gnawed upon his lower lip. "I'm - uh - I'm a bit worried, about what we'll uh find. He was - he was a dear friend, you know. I hate to think… anything nasty of him..." He glanced at Tina, but even after all these years he had a spot of trouble keeping eye contact. Even with her. He looked down at the stones that made up the walkway leading to the house. “Hate to think nasty things… of anyone, really.”

Tina nodded, "I know." Newt's teeth rested on his jaw, which seemed to slightly quiver and Tina reached over, her hand touching his wrist. "Newt, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, yes," Newt nodded, "I'm afraid that I must if I intend to - to put this all behind me, the past, I mean... I'll uh, I'll need to know the facts."

Tina understood. She reached for the gate, "Then in you go."

“Yes,” Newt nodded and took an awkward first step, “Off we go then.” He moved forward, sliding through the gate and onto the walk that wound its way up to the front door, passing the great tree in the yard, his boots crunching over acorns and leaves. Tina followed, her wand drawn, looking around them with an expression of scrutiny. They climbed the steps onto the porch and Newt drew his wand from his pocket, leveling it with the knob of the door. "Alohamora," he said clearly, and there was the clicking of the locks, and he pushed open the door.

"Lumos," they said together.

There was an eerie air to the house, Tina wasn't sure if it was a result of Newt going on for the last couple of months about how he'd felt last time they'd been in the house, or if it was because she really felt it. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she inched closer to Newt’s back until she was leaned against him, her chin pressed to his shoulder as Newt slouched forward through the dusty house.

"Newt," Tina whispered.

"Y-yes?"

"I feel something now."

"So do I, yes." He nodded.

Tina didn't know if she felt better or worse knowing it wasn't just her feeling the presence. At least she wasn't mad, that was a perk, but if Newt was sensing it, then that meant there was something there. It was hard to tell by Newt's demeanor if he was frightened by the presence or not, but Tina certainly was. She drew a deep, shaky breath and inched along behind him.

Newt paused, his eyes moving to the fireplace and he struck out his arm to stop Tina from walking. He held one finger up, placing it very slowly to his lips. Tina aimed her wand as Newt inched slowly forward, stepping away from her, his steps carrying him closer to the fireplace, moving carefully around the couch and coffee table. He reached up to the mantel with a shaking hand, his fingers reaching the base of a clock, which sat, ticking - the only sound in the room… Newt’s fingers touched the clock and Tina closed her eyes, expecting something terrible to happen, but all that happened was he picked it up and drew it toward himself. The clock continued ticking, it’s pendulum swinging in the glass belly. Newt’s eyes followed the sway of it for a moment as he turned it over and raised his wand, touching the back of the clock so that the little door protecting the mechanisms.

He turned to look at her, his greying auburn hair falling over his forehead, then lowered his eyes back to the clock. “I - I think I may have a - an idea.”

“An idea?” Tina asked. She pulled her jacket ‘round her, a chill going through her.

“Yes,” Newt breathed slowly. Then he closed the clock’s mechanism door and he put the suitcase down on the coffee table and flicked open the locks. He opened the case and put the clock inside. Then he looked at Tina again. “Yes, I have a very good idea of what happened here. What’s happening altogether really, and -- and I’m afraid it’s a very bad idea.”

“A very bad idea?”

“Yes.” Newt nodded. He looked around the room again and his eyes met Lyall Lupin’s in a photograph on the mantel. He stepped up and lifted it. He winced at the picture, “Oh dear.”

“What is it?” Tina stepped closer.

The photo was of a young Newt Scamander, and with him stood a young Lyall Lupin and a young Harold Minchum - it was when Newt had been working with the Ministry on the third edition of his book - when Lyall and Harold were still new to the Ministry and he’d become friends with them. He stared at the photo as a younger version of himself smiled back up at him and he looked at Tina.

“Terrible, really, that picture,” Newt murmured. In it, his eyes never one came to meet the camera, but looked always downward, at an angle, smiling awkwardly as the other two laughed and put their arms about each other, Newt sort of uptight and uncomfortable in the middle, his shoulders to his neck.

She smiled as she took the photo.

Newt turned to the rest of the photos - pictures of Hope and Remus, and pictures of Lyall with Remus. A picture of the whole family, one from Hope and Lyall’s wedding day, a photo of Lyall shaking the hand of the Madam Minister past, one of Remus with Dumbledore playing exploding snap before this very fireplace, and one from Platform 9¾ the day Remus Lupin went to school for the first time...

“Family memories are so precious,” Tina mumbled.

“Yes,” Newt said, “And very valuable, I’m afraid. Come, we need to go.”

Tina looked at him, “We do?”

“Yes, right away. I need to speak to Albus Dumbledore.”

“Newt --”

“It’s very important. Come.” Hurriedly, Newt turned and rushed to the front door, his long coat flying out behind him as he went, clutching the suitcase. Tina scrambled to catch up, glancing back at the mantel of memories left behind...